 Making your home into a wonderful place to be is not a difficult task if you know what it is that you should be doing. If you don’t, then it is a good thing that you have come across this article, because down below we are going to be looking at a few of the things that you can be doing to create the perfect space. If you want to know more about this topic, then we suggest you keep reading to get all the information that you need! So, without further ado, let’s look at some of the touches that you can add to your home to make it as wonderful as it could possibly be. Change Up Your Bathroom What kind of state is your bathroom in right now? We bet that the answer is fine but not great. We are not talking about how clean it is, but rather we are focusing on the design and what kind of theme you have going on in here. A lot of people have bathrooms that are pretty bland, but you should consider going for something a little more adventurous. How can you do this? Well, you don’t need to go all out and change the cabinets and fixtures, but you should consider adding a theme. For example, under the sea is a great way to make your bathroom a little more fun! And the best part about this is that it is pretty simple to do. All it takes is some paint, maybe a new shower curtain, and hey presto you have yourself an under the sea themed bathroom. Put some blue paint on the walls, make sure you get a curtain that has fish on it and when you are in the tub you can swim with the fishes! This is just a simple design idea, there are a whole load of others online that you can look at. As long as it is something that you like and makes you smile whenever you walk in there. Tech Is Always A Good Choice Tech is always going to be a good choice when it comes to adding things to your home. Do you have an Amazon Alexa? If not, then you are one of the few households left in the world without one, because they are soaring in popularity even now. You will find that this is a particularly handy piece of tech to have around the home as you can ask it all sorts of questions. For example, if you need to know what the weather will be like, or you need to know the answer to something but don’t have your phone handy, you can ask Alexa. Something else that you might want to consider is investing in a smart fridge. How many times have you been out to the shops and forgot something because you couldn’t remember if you needed it? Well, that is no longer going to be a problem as you can download an app to your phone which allows you to see inside your fridge even when it is closed. This makes doing the shopping a whole lot easier, and means that you don’t have to make two or three trips in a week! Think About The Personal Items You want your home to feel safe and somewhere that you can be completely you. The best way that you can achieve this is to think about the personal items that you have around the home. We are not suggesting that you have pictures of you and your family covering every inch of the property, but having a few dotted around is always going to be nice. As well as this, you can make sure that your home is full of the things that you like, whether this is art, tapestry or whatever. You need to feel comfortable walking around and knowing that it is your space. If you are quite specific about the design of your home and you think adding these touches could be difficult, then we suggest you make a pile of everything you want to put up but don’t know where to put. The reason behind this is that you can then go through them individually while also seeing everything else that you have. You never know when inspiration is going to hit, and you could have your best design idea ever. How About A Patio? Have you considered adding a patio to your garden? A lot of people these days don’t have one, but this is a big mistake because there is a real gap for them in the market right now. Not that we are suggesting you look at selling your home right now, but it is a practical consideration for the future. Adding a patio to your home is a great idea not just for the reason we mentioned above, but also because it provides you with an amazing place to sit and enjoy the summer season. You might be thinking that you can just use the rest of your garden, but how irritating is it when you are falling around on your chair because your grass is uneven? Well, patios could be the answer to your problem. By having one of these in your back garden, you are giving yourself something that isn’t common these days and provides you with a wonderful area for your kids to play or to host a summer BBQ. There are so many uses for a patio that you would be silly to not at least consider the possibility. For the number of benefits that you would see, it seems it would be well worth the initial investment. I hope that you have found this article helpful and will use the advice above to help make your home wonderful. Any of the touches that we have mentioned in this article will go a long way to helping you make your house feel more like a home! Good luck, and I hope that you have your home looking amazing in no time.  *collaborative post*
0 Comments
 Being a homeowner might make you feel accomplished, but it also comes with loads of responsibilities. You will have to look after your home, so it can look after you. It is no longer the landlord or the housing association who needs to sort things out; it is you. According to Murphy’s Law, if something can go wrong, it will do so at the worst possible time. Below you will find a few things you should be prepared for as a homeowner. Electricity If you are a homeowner, you have to get a qualified professional to carry out regular checks in your home, so you will not end up overloading your circuits or blowing fuses. Before you move into your house, get the wiring checked by a professional, and tell them what type of appliances you would like to use. They can adjust the power levels and the circuits, so you will not have to deal with emergency situations. Plumbing The next thing that can go wrong and could potentially cost you smaller mortgage is your plumbing. You should get your heating and air conditioning system checked regularly, and make sure that you are getting the right plumbing repairs carried out in time. This will save you a lot of money long term, and help you stay safe and warm in your own home. Safety Issues If you are looking to leave your home empty for a while, when you are going on a vacation or visiting family members, you will need to upgrade your security inside and outside of the house. You don’t want your insurance claim denied because you didn’t let the company know about your plans. Get a security camera installed, and consider investing in smart home devices that will alert you when there is a major emergency. Water or Storm Damage If there is one force people haven’t mastered to control, it is weather and nature. You cannot predict what is going to happen at your location, and a storm or flash flood can cause a lot of damage. You might already know that running a home is expensive, but you simply don’t want to add to the costs by having to repair the damage caused by the force of nature and paying out of pocket. Always have adequate insurance, just in case. Unexpected Expenses There are, of course, other unexpected expenses as well that are a part of your family budget, but you might not have considered before you moved in. You could be required to pay extra tax for your property, or pay out for a public liability case. If you cannot prove that you have made every effort to keep the neighborhood safe, you can owe a lot of compensation, and this will knock your family budget out of balance. As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to make sure that your home is safe, running smoothly, and serves your interest and your family’s needs. Get regular checkups and safety checks to avoid unexpected budget troubles.  *collaborative post*
 Everyone moves house at some point in their life. Some may do it one or two times, where others may move several times during their lifetime. And there’s no right or wrong number because a lot of things happen in life that can change your requirements and needs for a property. So what signs should you be looking out for when it comes to selling your home? You’re Looking Already One of the most obvious signs that you’re ready to sell your home and move on is that you’re already window shopping. Whether that’s online browsing or gravitating towards estate agent windows, that’s telling you something already. It’s easy to get carried away with day-dreaming, but if you’re genuinely close to picking up the phone and giving the estate agent a call to view a property, then it’s worth pressing the pause button, sitting down with the household and discussing the topic of selling up. There’s nothing wrong with doing a bit of exploring prior because the earlier you start looking the better. However, you do want to get your property sold before you go lusting over another property. Your Current Home Is Too Small Or Too Big Throughout life, your household size is likely to change. That could be due to starting a family to renting out your spare room to a stranger. You may have started noticing that perhaps the space you once considered to be a perfect size, becoming too big or too small for your needs. This is perfectly normal and is probably a hint that you may want to start looking elsewhere for a property that is going to satisfy your needs and wants. It’s always sad to see your children flying the nest, and that can make moving from a property difficult when it has so many happy memories in it. However, think about all the incredible new memories you’ll make in your new home! If you’re planning on having a family, then when it comes to your new home, it’s a good idea to think about how many children you want and looking at areas where the schools are good, and the area is safe and low in crime rates. You’re Financially In A Good Position You may have been in the mindset that you’ve wanted to sell your property for a while now, but it’s not been possible because you’ve not financially been in a good position. The finances are certainly important when it comes to selling your home because it’s not just a case of selling it. You’ll need to get it valued, and any work that’s recommended to do to improve the quality of furnishings or structure will need to be paid for. This could cost thousands of pounds, so before you can sell your home, you may need to have the finances to pay for all the property costs as well as legal fees, stamp duty that needs paying and the cost to move from your old property to the new one. The Area You Live In Has Changed When it comes to the area you live in, a lot can change over the course of you living there. So whether you live in Essex or Devon, as time goes on, an area can improve, but it can also get worse. Your lifestyle might also change, and the neighborhood you are in may not have enough of what you need to warrant staying. Maybe you now need a good school nearby or more shops or restaurants. With the rise in population, more homes from housebuilders like Redrow may be going up, and therefore the once quiet area you lived in might not be so quiet anymore! You Know The Market Is Good The housing market is something that you learn to be good at, the more you are in the property market. And even if you’re financially and emotionally ready to sell, the market might not be performing well in your favour. No one can predict how the market will look and so it’s always a guessing game and luck as to when the right time is. Sometimes though it might be fairly obvious when it’s not good to sell your property. Putting on your home on the market is good to get a feel for what buyers are available, but it’s also worth looking at homes near to you. Find ones that are similar to you in size and location and see if they’re getting much interest. It’s a good idea to see how long they’ve been on the market to give you an indication of whether your property is going to be on sale for a while. Advice from estate agents is always worth seeking, and you should speak to a few before deciding on who to go with. You’ve Got Plans In Place Already Planning ahead is always beneficial, and if you’ve got an estate agent interested already and legal cover sorted, you may be ready to go ahead and sell your property. Having these plans in place is always good to keep on standby, should you need to sell your home quickly. If you’ve spoken to an estate agent already, then you’ll have all the information on what you need to do to your property in order to boost its value. It’ll also help you in quickening up the process in between where you’ll need to find your next home once your property sells. Selling your home can be very exciting, and no matter how many times you do it, it’s always quite the adventure. Pay attention to these signs because it might be an indication that you are ready to sell. If plans are already in place and you’re window shopping already, then you may be telling yourself that it’s time to move on. Ensure you are speaking to the right estate agents and that you know what you’re looking for in your next property. Sort out all the legal aspects and that you have the finances to back your move.  *collaborative post*
 When the time comes and you’re about to make the long-awaited move to a new home, you’ll often feel a mixture of emotions. The overwhelming emotion is that of extreme excitement at the prospect of memory-making and all of the opportunities that await you. Sure, you’re about to leave what was probably a lovely and cozy place that you made your own, but the future has a lot in store for you. Another feeling that’ll run through you is that of worry and stress. It’s not uncommon – if you’re relaxed throughout the entire time, then you’re in a tiny minority and we all wish we were like you. It’s a long process with a lot of effort and a lot of information to take on, so it’s understandable if things can get a little overwhelming. There are always things you can do to remedy a stressful move – let’s take a look at some. Plan Ahead Like with a lot of things, planning out what you’re going to be doing will save a lot of stress. Sure, it may be quite a tedious and maybe evening a stressful thought having to organize everything, but it will be worth it when moving day comes. If you have set times for certain jobs or have gathered people to help you out, then you’ll be way better prepared for it all. Hire Movers If it’s a little too much for you guys to handle, then you could do a lot worse than bringing in professionals who know exactly what they’re doing. Get in touch with a moving company and see how they can ease the burden a little. Get Everything Packed Yes, you’ll eventually have everything packed (hopefully) before you have to move out of the place you’re currently in, but why make it a stressful situation by holding off on the job and making it a last minute thing. You’ll have items that are needed until the final day, but as for the stuff you haven’t touched in months? Get them stored away. If you have nowhere to put some of your stuff, then you could use storage companies, like Now Storage, to keep them locked away safely until you need them again. It’s a wise thing to do if you have fairly large items and nobody you know is willing or able to hold them for you! Hire Cleaners With everything you have going on, you’ll be forgiven if you’ve not kept the home up to scratch in terms of its cleanliness and beauty. The home does need to be swept and kept hygienic, however – you don’t want to be in a sty! Perhaps hiring cleaners to come in and help you out could ease your mind. They could look after your current home and also do a little work on the new place! Pack Snacks As we said, it’s a long process and, at times, the day itself can feel like it’s going on forever. You may not have the luxury of making food for yourself at this time, so make meals and snacks for you to chow down on during the day – you don’t want to be starving as it may stress you out even more.  *collaborative post*
 We all love the homes we are in. It doesn’t matter how big or how small it is – it’s ours. We move in and immediately begin plans on personalizing and enhancing it to reflect our individual characters. Whilst the process was difficult at first and it can be a bit of a stressful at times, owning your own place is generally a great feeling.
Amidst the fun, creativity and the freedom of having your own place, you still have the responsibility to take care of. You obviously have to keep the place nice and tidy as well as making sure it’s hazard-free and functioning smoothly. Regarding the tidiness, something that pretty much everyone has to deal with at one time or another is a pile-up of clutter. When things are left in a corner or left stocked in a room, it can be bad for your peace of mind as well as the home’s practicality. Let’s take a little look at a few ways to sort out any clutter you may have lying around. Have A Big Clearout We’ll start with the most obvious idea of the lot: just get rid of whatever it is that lying around and bringing the place down. Naturally, you’re going to have reservations about doing a big clearout as it takes a lot of work and you may feel like there are things in the clutter pile that shouldn’t be removed just yet! But you should make some time for it soon because it’ll all be worth it when it’s done and you have all that neat and tidy space! Go Room To Room When you do your big clearout, the best way to go about it is to clear one room at a time. It’s another fairly obvious point, but some people will just hop in and out of each room as they please. Doing it in an organized manner will mean you won’t be too overwhelmed by the job at hand and you won’t make a mess of the situation – pardon the pun. Donate To Charity There are people out there that are less fortunate than you. If you ever look at the stuff you have around and can’t be bothered to throw it away, just think about those who may need it – that should give you the motivation to declutter. Put Pieces In Storage If you have things that you feel you need to keep but don’t need right now and are taking up too much room, then you can always head on down to your local storage facility and acquire a space to put them in. They can be kept under lock and key for a few bucks, and you can collect them whenever you want. Get More Storage If you’ve got items stuffed into the corner of a room or anything like that, then perhaps you should invest in some other forms of storage that you can use at home. We’re talking shelves, wardrobes or a chest of drawers. Organize Everything Better Finally, when things are looking a little better, trying to solve the problem at the source! Stop it from happening again by keeping things organized – it may take a little time and effort to come up with a plan like this, but it will be worth it in the long run. |
Photos used under Creative Commons from aotaro, S John Davey, Haydn Blackey, analogophile, Treeaddict, Toolstotal, Bellafaye Garden, naama, markus spiske, inbounduk, porschelinn, chairbazaar, Idhren, Martin Hesketh, christianbroscabinets, amsfrank, marcoverch, Homedust, Tim Green aka atoach, rawartistsmedia, roseannadana, intoruth, vwcampin, andreboeni, ...love Maegan, Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge (UNN), Marianne Bevis, Louisa Swz, ChalonHandmade, halfrain, lizzie.datify, Casey Hugelfink, highmarkb, manhhai, Didriks, inkknife_2000 (4.5 million views), iulia.pironea, inbounduk, emily @ go haus go, Martin Pulaski, nicolas.boullosa, wildbindi, emily @ go haus go, condosccsca, LPEstrela, emily @ go haus go, Reeks District, Lee Edwin Coursey, pnoeric, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, Idhren, dejankrsmanovic, bobbi vie, Orange Steeler, EmpIoia, Vivian Farinazzo, marfis75, dee_dee_creamer, Houseology, atl10trader, Timitrius, anka.albrecht, acca-67, lizzie.datify, nodstrum, lizzie.datify, mikecogh, highmarkb, emily @ go haus go, Dougtone, Annie Mole, sean_reay, Wicker Paradise, briget_murphy, tapetenpics, Tony Webster
